Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings

༄༅། །བ콼་བཟང་རྒྱལ་བ鮟ན་མ་བ筴གས་སོ།། By Gungthang Tenpai Dronme

Translated by Martin Willson

FPMT Education Services Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, Inc. 1632 SE 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97214 USA www.fpmt.org

© 1999 Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or developed, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Set in Calibri 12/15, Lydian BT, and Monlam Uni Ouchan 2. Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings Lo zang gyäl tän ma

Gyäl wa ma lü kye päi yab gyur kyang Though he’s the father, producer of all conquerors, Gyäl sä tshül gyi zhing kham rab jam su As a conqueror’s son, he produced the thought of upholding Gyäl wäi chhö dzin thug kye den päi thü The Conqueror’s Dharma in infinite worlds. Through this truth Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Ngön tshe wang pöi tog gi chän nga ru When of yore in the presence of Buddha Indraketu Dam chä tshe na nying tob chhen po zhe He made his vow, the Conqueror and his offspring Sä chä gyäl wä ngag jö den päi thü Praised his powerful courage. Through this truth Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Ta chö tsang mäi gyü pa pel wäi chhir That the lineage of pure view and conduct might spread, Thub päi drung du shel kar threng wa phül He offered a white crystal rosary to the Sage,

3 4

Chhö dung nang zhing lung tän den päi thü Who gave him a conch and prophesied. Through this truth Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Ta wa nam dag tag chhä tha lä dröl His pure view free of eternity or destruction; Gom pa nam dag jing mug mün pa sang His pure meditation cleansed of dark fading and fog; Chö pa nam dag gyäl wäi ka zhin drub His pure conduct practiced according to conquerors’ orders: Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Mang du thö pa gya chher tsäl wä khä Learned, since he extensively sought out learning; Thö dön ji zhin gyü la jar wä tsün 1 Reverend, rightly applying it to himself; Kün kyang tän dröi dön du ngo wä zang Good, dedicating all for beings and doctrine: Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Drang nge sung rab ma lü gäl me du Through being sure that all scriptures, definitive and Gang zag chig gi nyam len dam pa ru Interpretative, were, without contradiction, Nge pa nye pä nye chö tha dag gag Advice for one person’s practice, he stopped all misconduct: Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Lung chhö de nö sum gyi chhä nyän dang Listening to explanations of the three pitakas, 5

Tog päi tän pa lab sum nyam len te Realized teachings, practice of the three trainings— Khä shing drub päi nam thar mä du jung His skilled and accomplished life story is amazing. Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Chhi ru nyän thö chö pä zhi zhing dül Outwardly calmed and subdued by the hearer’s conduct, Nang du rim nyi näl jor deng dang dän Inwardly trusting in the two stages’ practice, Do ngag lam zang gäl me drog su khyer He allied without clash the good paths of sutra and tantra: Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Gyu yi theg par shä päi tong pa nyi Combining voidness, explained as the causal vehicle, Drä büi thab kyi drub päi de chhen dang With great bliss, achieved by method, the effect vehicle, Nyam jor chhö phung gyä thrii nying pöi chü Heart essence of eighty thousand Dharma bundles— Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Kye bu sum gyi lam gyi sung mäi tso By the power of the ocean of oath-bound doctrine protectors, Nyur dzä gön dang nam sä lä shin sog Like the main guardians of the three beings’ paths— Tän sung dam chän gya tshöi thu tob kyi The quick-acting lord,2 Vaishravana, Karmayama— Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish! 6

Dor na päl dän la mäi ku tshe tän In short, by the lasting of glorious gurus’ lives, Khä tsün tän dzin dam pä sa teng gang By the earth being full of good, learned, reverend holders Tän päi jin dag nga thang dar wa yi Of the teaching, and by the increase of power of its patrons, Lo zang gyäl wäi tän pa gyä gyur chig May the conqueror Losang’s teachings flourish!

Colophon: Translated by Martin Willson from Gungthang Tänpäi Dronme, Prayer for the Flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s Teachings (blo bzang rgyal bstan ma) at Nalanda Monastery, August 1985. Taken from Rites and Prayers, London: Wisdom Publications, 1985. Lightly edited by FPMT Education Services, June 1999.

Notes 1 Literally, “…since he rightly applied the meaning of what he heard to [his own] continuum…” 2 Mahakala. Care of Dharma Materials

Dharma materials contain the teachings of the Buddha and thus protect against lower rebirth and reveal the path to enlightenment. Therefore, they should be treated with respect.

Printed Dharma materials, as well as phones, tablets, laptops, and hard drives containing Dharma, should be kept off the floor, beds, chairs, meditation cushions, and all other places where people sit or walk. Dharma materials should not be stepped over or put in places where the feet or buttocks will point at them. They should be covered or protected for transporting and kept in a high, clean place separate from more mundane materials. Other objects, including statues, stupas, ritual implements, malas, reading glasses, and so forth, should not be placed on top of Dharma books and devices containing Dharma materials. Avoid licking the fingers to turn the pages of Dharma texts.

If it is necessary to dispose of printed Dharma materials, they should be burned rather than thrown in the trash. When burning Dharma texts, visualize that the letters transform into an A (ཨ) and the A absorbs into your heart. Imagine burning blank paper. As the paper burns, recite OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ or the Heart Sutra, while meditating on emptiness.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche recommends that images of holy beings, deities, and holy objects not be burned. Ideally, if undamaged, they should be put in a stupa. Otherwise, put them high up in a tree inside a well-sealed structure, something like a bird house, so that the images are protected from the weather and do not end up on the ground. Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition